Prioritisation tool - for new initiatives at work.

[GuigiaroBertone]

I'm looking for a tool / matrix / whatever that I can use to present a number of improvement initiatives at work and then use it to prioritise what to do first based on estimated cost vs perceived benefit vs political resistance vs time to actually do the work.

Is there anything anyone can recommend? Just a very high level tool that I can put on a single page.

My current best option is to have each initiative on a single ppt slide with a score for each of the above, then summarise on a final page.

Not looking for anything complex with accurate cost breakdowns. Just a high level overview.

Also- I need to do this today! so replies sent tomorrow will be appreciated, but too late :-D

[ujio]

Not encountered anything specific for this but I suggest maybe a matrix table along these lines you suggested, but for a better simplistic visualisation also have the points graded on a heat map scale.



The following I won't take the credit for, I've just fed it into chatGPT. However, it makes a lot of sense to me. Just try not to get to go too overboard with the detail (remember a picture paints a thousand words!).

Initiative | Estimated Cost (1–5) | Perceived Benefit (1–5) | Political Resistance (1–5)* | Time to Deliver (1–5) | Total Priority Score |
|------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
| Initiative A | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | = Weighted Score |
| Initiative B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | = Weighted Score |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |


> Lower Political Resistance = Better Score (you might want to reverse this or invert the weight depending on your approach)

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How to Score
You assign values based on rough judgment:

- Cost: 1 = Cheap / 5 = Expensive
- Benefit: 1 = Minimal Impact / 5 = Game-Changer
- Political Resistance: 1 = None / 5 = High

- Time: 1 = Quick Win / 5 = Long-Term

Then create a weighted score, something like:


Score = (Benefit * 2) - (Cost + Resistance + Time)


This gives more weight to benefit, while still penalizing for high cost, effort, or resistance.

---

Optional Visual: Bubble Chart
If you want to go beyond a table, use a bubble chart in Excel or Power BI:

- X-axis: Time to Deliver
- Y-axis: Benefit
- Bubble size: Cost
- Bubble color: Resistance level

It gives a visual "landscape" of what’s worth pursuing first.

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How to Use on a Slide
1. One summary table or chart on a single slide.
2. Use color coding (e.g., green = go, yellow = maybe, red = park).
3. Optional: Include a legend or key takeaway (e.g., "Initiatives 2, 4, and 5 are quick wins with low resistance").


Best of luck with the deck presentation!

[GuigiaroBertone]

that's amazing- thanks Ujio. I now recall I have used something similar before, called an SQPM https://www.mindtools.com/arul09q/thequantitatives...

But your reply confirms that it's probably the best option. Thanks again.

[Simpo Two]

Blimey. I would just decide what to do first and do it.

[mikef]

We used Ideascale for innovation management. It can get expensive if you open up ideas submission and judging to a wide internal audience though

[Percy Cushion]

The Eisenhower matrix is a handy tool

[GuigiaroBertone]

Thanks all- job done.

Re: Eisenhower- it's great for many use cases but doesn't factor in costs and political resistance.

[GuigiaroBertone]

Simpo Two said:

Blimey. I would just decide what to do first and do it.

Really helpful. What's your line of work? Fine if you're a sole trader or Elon Musk.

Not the best strategy unless you're powerfully built company director, holding the purse strings and owning a team of hundreds. In this case you have to convince others to invest time and resources.